Being Neighborly
by MissHyen
Summary: Cara Donnelly is new to the neighborhood and stuck in a jam. She meets Steve Rogers, who happens to be her next door neighbor and she learns the meaning of being neighborly.
1. Chapter 1

Cara stared at the large pile of wood in front of her and then at the heavy axe before letting out a hopeless sigh. She stood with her hip out, and a stubborn pout as she scowled indignantly.

"Yeah, thanks Dad." She muttered to herself as she picked up the axe and brought it down, barely cutting through the log. She just wanted to go inside and sit with a movie but her dad had been called to work and she was stuck chopping wood on her own. The first snow storm of the season was coming and it was going to be bad from what the weather stations were saying.

"Hey, I could help you with that if you want." A male voice called out across the yard.

"Pardon?" Cara looked up surprised at the voice, out of breath. She turned toward the voice and did a double take at its owner. Her neighbor smiled and gave her a quick little friendly wave before motioning to her wood pile.

She had seen him before in passing but never took the time to really look. He was tall, well built, had light brown almost blonde hair, and a handsome friendly face. Over his grey Henley shirt she could tell his chest, shoulders and arms were incredibly muscled. His jeans weren't too tight but his well-built thigh muscles made them seem that way.

He stood on his porch, leaning on the pillar and holding a mug of something steaming as he looked over at her with his handsome smile.

"You're going to hurt your back chopping like that."

Cara gave a sheepish look and looked down at the pitiful pile of wood and then at the large pile of logs that had yet to be chopped and stacked.

"I'm not so good at this I guess. My dad promised to come help me, but he got called in to work so I'm stuck." She dropped the axe and walked over to the fence, resting her arms on it. The neighbor nodded at it with his chin and looked back at her.

"That pile is nothing, I can have that done in an hour, not even."

"Would you? I would pay you for it. Unless you have something else going on."

"Oh please. I don't mind helping a neighbor. Let me grab my boots and I'll be right over."

"Thank you so much!" Cara walked back to the wood and looked down at her German Shepherd who had his head on his front paws.

"What do you know, Logan, we have nice neighbors after all." She tucked her hands into her coat sleeves to warm them up as she waited. The wind had kicked up and it was getting colder out.

The dog lifted his head and cocked it to the side, looking up at her with his warm brown eyes and they both looked up as she heard the fence door creak open. Logan looked over at the neighbor and got up, walking over quickly and nosing around him, begging for a pet on the head. The neighbor laughed and rubbed his head vigorously while he strode over to Cara.

"Some watch dog you are." She said to the dog.

Her neighbor strode up to them and held out a hand, "I'm sorry, I'm really bad at introductions. I'm Steve. Steve Rogers."

Cara took his hand and shook it, "Cara Donnelly. Nice to meet you."

Steve took the axe from Cara and watched Logan flop down on the ground near him.

"That's Logan, my bodyguard. As you can see, it's hard work protecting the house." Cara laughed as the dog perked his ears, rolling his eyes up to look at them before going back to sleep.

"I'm sure. So I can get this wood done in no time, if you want to go back inside and warm up. It's getting pretty nasty out."

"I'm fine, you split and I'll stack, it's the least I can do for you helping me."

"Sounds good, let's get to it." He said with a smile as he hoisted the axe up on his shoulder, leaned over and palmed a log with his large hand and placed in on the tree stump before taking hold of the handle in both hands and swinging. The axe met the wood with a loud crack and it split completely in half in one hit.

Logan lifted his head and watched curiously as Cara stared at him in amazement. He had barely put any effort into the swing.

"That's pretty thick wood, don't you hurt yourself either."

Steve grinned at her as he tossed the split wood to the side, "I'll be fine, I'm used to heavy work." The way he said it, Steve didn't seem to have the swagger some guys got when they offered to help out a girl. He didn't look out to impress her, or show off his strength or flirt. He just seemed to enjoy helping her. Somehow this was comforting and she relaxed as they talked a little as they worked.

She picked up some more wood and walked it to the growing stack. She heard the logs being split, and occasionally a masculine grunt came from Steve as he worked. She headed back to him to grab more wood and watched him take another swing. She stopped and watched him as his shoulder and back muscles bunched and released showing how powerful he was. His biceps and forearms threatened to stretch out the sleeves with their corded bulk.

"Everything alright?" Steve looked over, the axe resting on his shoulder as he squinted at her, facing the sunlight.

She focused again, "Oh yeah, yeah I needed a break for a second. This wood isn't light." She zipped her coat up to her next and shivered, rubbing her hands together.

"Why don't you go inside and warm up, I'll come let you know when I'm done."

"I feel weird just leaving you to do my work. Can I get you something hot to drink at least?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

He lifted the axe and slammed it down on another log, getting back to work. Logan sat up, looking back at Cara and then at Steve before he laid down again.

"I think you have a friend. If he gets in the way, just tell him to go play."

"He's a good boy, aren't you Logan." Another crack as more wood was split. He leaned down to take Logan's ball and tossed it across the yard. The dog raced off and then returned in a minute dropping the ball at Steve's feet. He laughed and bent over to rub the dogs head and ears.

Cara watched for a moment and then headed inside to get some coffee started. She turned on the coffee machine and heard more cracking of logs and she looked out the kitchen window. Steve was like a machine chopping the wood. He slammed the axe down like it weighed nothing and then lifted more wood in one large hand, he was already almost finished.

When he was done chopping, he started to carry the wood over to the pile. She heard the coffee machine finish as she found some muffins in the pantry. She was bent over at the fridge looking for creamer when she heard the back door open.

"Cara?"

"In here!" She called out. She looked up to see Steve entering the kitchen with Logan in tow. The dog walked next to him, almost touching his legs as they moved. Steve stopped at the counter and Logan sat next to his feet. He filled up the small kitchen with his size. He wasn't extremely tall, but he was well built and his presence made the room seem tiny. They're eyes met for a moment and she noticed the color; they could almost pass for green in certain angles and they were sparkling. Logan rested his head in Steve's lap and whined.

She gestured to Logan, "Do you train dogs for a living? What did you do to him?" She shook her head at the dog.

"I threw the ball once and after that he's been my buddy." He rubbed Logan's ears and grinned.

"That'll do it." She held up a mug, "Want some coffee?"

"Yes please."

She poured them both a cup and the sat at the table.

"I don't think we've ever met properly." He said politely. "Your paper always gets tossed in my yard so I put it on your doorstep before I got to work."

"Oh wow, well thanks. So what do you do for work."

"Military." He sat holding his cup like he wanted to say something and then relaxed again, "How about yourself?"

"I'm a daycare teacher. Mostly toddlers but sometimes older kids."

"Sounds fun… and exhausting." Steve laughed, and Cara nodded.

"Oh yes. I love it though."

They sat quietly for a moment and as Cara thought of something to say, Steve looked out the window at the sky. He turned to her looking concerned.

"You're tree looks like it's going to come down any time. You should look into having it removed."

"Seriously?" Cara looked out the window and gave a frustrated look toward the tree. "That's all I need right now."

"It's not a big tree, but big enough. I know some people who could help out and he'd have it down in no time."

"Who are you?" Cara laughed. "Are you a lumberjack?" She poured them both more coffee and retrieved some of the muffins from the counter and brought them to the table.

"Lumberjack, no. I've saved the day a few times I'm told though. Seriously, the tree is leaning pretty badly. It could come down on your back porch if you're not careful. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"I'll look into getting it taken out, thanks for letting me know."

She picked up her mug and looked up at Steve, noticing his expression. His eyes had concern but they seemed to soften with a slight smile as he looked at her. She looked away quickly, fiddling with her spoon.

"Are you sure I'm not taking up your time? I feel bad for wasting your morning."

"I'm glad to help, you didn't take up my time. Really." He nervously reached down to rub Logan's furry ear as if to gain courage. "Sometimes I see you outside and you look a little lost doing some yard things."

"So you take pity on the new neighbor, I see how it is." Cara teased as she laughed, "Do I look that hopeless?"

"Not at all, I just felt bad and wanted to help out but I wasn't sure how to get the ball rolling." He let out a breath as if flustered and stood up. "It's getting kind of chilly in here, would you like me to start a fire for you before I go. Your fireplace is ready to go right?"

"Go?" She cursed herself inwardly for sounding upset that he had to leave. "Oh yeah, yeah. A fire would be great. It's ready, my dad had a friend come inspect it. She smiled at him and looked away nervously. "I owe you big time for all of this Steve, seriously."

"I'll go get some of the wood to get you started. Be right back."

He got up and Logan followed him to the door. Cara put both mugs in the sink and watched him walk to the pile. She caught herself staring at his impressive back side and raised an eyebrow. A guy like Steve probably had a girlfriend, so why was he spending his morning helping her?


	2. Chapter 2

Later in the afternoon, the sun was going down and Steve had left hours ago. He had shown her how to get the fire going and how to stoke the flames and add more wood to keep the fire going. They had exchanged phone numbers in case she needed anything else. He seemed reluctant to leave, and had reminded her to look into getting the leaning tree looked soon before he left.

Logan sat by the sofa looking at the door with his head in his paws, giving a soft whine. He'd been acting off ever since Steve left. The snow had started and it was piling up fast, the wind was harsh and loud causing the snow to fall and blow sideways as it came down.

"You like him too huh?" She looked up from her book at the dog. He got up and padded over, resting his head on her lap.

She smiled and rubbed his ears and then held his muzzle, shaking it gently, "I'm sure he has a girlfriend, don't even think about him." She said it more to herself than the dog and she sighed.

There was a loud crack outside and a flash and the power went out.

"Shoot!" She got up quickly and looked out the window. The whole street was out, and it suddenly seemed very quiet and desolate. Ever tiny sound emphasized by lack of electricity in the house.

"Well bud, let's get some candles."

She moved carefully through the house to get to the kitchen drawers. She found matches and candles and began to set them up around the living room, kitchen and powder room. Her cell went off in the next room and she finished setting up candles and went to retrieve it.

 _Doing okay over there?_

Cara's stomach did a flip and she texted back.

 _Yeah, got my candles set up and the fire is still burning nicely._

 _Good job. Need anything?_

 _I think I'm good. Got my dog and my book, thanks. :)_

 _No problem. Give a shout if you need me._

She grinned and put the phone down, picking her book back up. She had finished a couple more chapters when the phone went off again.

 _So what are you reading in front of your cozy fire?_

 _The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel. Ever hear of it?_

 _Can't say that I have. What's it about?_

 _Basically a cro-magnon woman is exiled by the clan of Neanderthals who took her in when she was a little girl and she has to leave the son she had there behind to start her life again. She lives alone for a while and then meets a guy like her. Sorry for the long text._

There was a long silence and Cara thought he lost interest so she went back to reading. A few minutes later her cell went off again.

 _Just looked it up, I'll add it to my list of books to read._

 _The whole series is good, some books better than others. Do you read a lot?_

 _When I have time._

 _What do you like?_

 _Historic wars, nothing special._

She heard Logan's toenails clicking on the kitchen floor as he whined and scratched at the door urgently.

"Ok, Logie, good Lord."

 _Oh ok. Be right back, Logan has to go out._

She tossed the phone aside with a barrelful look toward the kitchen, "Okay, I'm letting you out, impatience."

She opened the back door and it flung open the rest of the way from the wind. Logan ran outside and disappeared into the dark yard, barking.

"Don't go far!" She shouted after him.

The wind whipped and whistled around her and she walked a little farther down the small set of steps looking out into the yard. She heard a loud crack and looked around uneasy. Power lines were going out all over other neighborhoods, flashing and popping. It was starting to look like an alien invasion movie and it made her nervous.

"Logan, come on boy!" She shouted, hearing growls and barks from the distance.

There was another loud cracking sound and a strange grinding whine.

"Logan!"

"Cara?" She looked over at Steve who was on his porch, looking toward her.

"Cara move!" She heard his horrified shout and looked up in time to see the old tree, falling toward her. She heard fast footsteps next to her and then felt a massive force knock her back and they both slid into the snow just barely moving from the tree as it came down on her porch.

She caught her breath, looking at the house. The tree had come down along her porch and her some of the back wall was destroyed. She laid back with a moan and saw Steve huddled over her in the snow.

"Are you hurt?" He looked at the house and then back at Cara. He jumped up and stood, holding out his hand.

"I think I got hit by a train." She said in surprise as she grabbed her forehead and winced. She looked back at her house and started to trudge through the snow to what was left of the back porch.

"Logan! Come on boy!" Steve shouted, and Cara heard a bark and felt a furry body run into her legs.

"Let's get to my house. I have my generator going and it's warm. You can't stay here right now."

"I need to turn off candles and the fire first." She argued.

"I'll go back for all of that. I want to get you inside and look at your head."

He walked her to his house and motioned to the door, "I'm going to find a tarp and then try to cover the back area on your porch. I'll take of everything, you and Logan go inside and warm up."

Cara stood helplessly, shoving her hands in her pockets, "I can help." She shouted after him, the wind drowning out her voice.

"You can help by staying put. I'll be right back." He gave her a stern look and started to walk down the path again.

"Oh, Steve?" He turned and looked at her expectantly. "There's a foil covered pan in my fridge. If I still have a kitchen, could you bring it?"

"Okay. Go inside, please." He trotted off to check her house as she shut the door.

A while later he finally came back. He opened the door and walked in carrying some plastic bags.

"How does it look?" Cara stood up quickly from the chair and he walked in stomping snow from his boots.

"Well it's better inside than outside. The wall and door took the brunt of it, but I don't think you should stay there until a professional looks at it." He walked to his kitchen and she followed him quickly. He handed her a bag and set down the other. "I got you some things you might want."

She looked through the bag and saw her phone and charger, and her book she was reading. She looked up to see him see him opening the foil pan and then laughed.

"You sent me back for lasagna?"

"I was going to heat it up for dinner and invite you back over to make up for this morning. You were going to go back anyway you said." She said a little more defensively than she meant.

He rewrapped the pan and he looked up at her. "Hey hey, I was just kidding. I appreciate the gesture though." He watched her touch her forehead and came toward her. "Let me look at that cut." He opened a cabinet and found a first aid kit and brought it over to her, straddling a stool to face her.

"I'm sorry. I've probably screwed up your day today." She sat down at the counter stool and touched her forehead.

"Stop touching it, let me look." He scolded gently as he took her hand away. He held her hand for a moment and she looked at him. He was watching her eyes but looked away quickly, dropping her hand and searching through the kit.

"You didn't screw up my day. Trust me, this is a slow day compared to what I do sometimes." He poured some antiseptic on a piece of gauze and began to clean the cut. She winced and he cringed sympathetically.

"Sorry for slamming into you like that. I heard Logan barking and you shouting and thought something happened. I looked out and saw the tree starting to go over so I jumped the fence to get to you in time."

Cara's eyes widened in disbelief, "You jumped _that_ fence?

"Yeah. It's not that high."

She raised an eyebrow, "Your girlfriend will be impressed to know you save damsels in distress."

Steve chuckled and rummaged through the kit for some antibiotic ointment, "Well I'm sure if I had one she might be impressed." He looked up at her a second and then went back to his work.

"It's just you?" She asked and then felt awkward when he looked up at her suddenly and back to her forehead.

"Just me." He worked quietly and then stopped, "What about you? I hope your boyfriend doesn't mind you staying here."

Cara blushed, "No boyfriend. Logan's my main man." She swore she saw a small smile that faded as fast as it appeared.

She licked her lips nervously and caught Steve watching. He stared at her lips and then back at her eyes and she felt her breath become ragged. She got up from her seat and headed to the lasagna on the table, her back to him. He looked down at the counter for a moment before turning around to her.

She stood fumbling with the foil, unsure of what to do next. "Can I help with anything? I can get dinner ready if you're hungry." Claire froze as she felt two hands move up her arms and then down again, his warm firm body behind her.

She closed his eyes for a moment and turned around. Steve's lips found hers and he pushed her against the table. His hand met her cheek and held her head as his mouth explored hers. She leaned into the kiss, and they both quickly moved away from each other.

"I'm sorry." Steve said, backing away, "If I offended you—"

"No. You didn't. I just didn't expect that." She leaned against the table and felt silly not knowing what to say to him. "I'll get dinner ready."

"Sounds good." He agreed a little too quickly. "I'm, I'm going to check the fire."

He left the room and Cara stood stupefied for a minute. She began to smile as she started working. She heard a grunt and looked down to see Logan staring up at her.

"Don't give me that look." She said to him, grinning.

* * *

After they ate and were settled in the living room. Steve sat poking the fire with Logan next to him. Cara was poking around his book shelf looking at his little library and various knick-knacks.

"How did you get this book? It's first edition from the 30's! It's so rare." She held it gingerly, admiring the cover.

Steve looked up with interest and got up, walking to her, "Oh that one? My Ma gave it to me." He looked down as Logan head butted his hand, begging for a pat.

"What is with that dog with you?" Cara laughed, "He loves you. If I ever go out of town, I might call you to watch him."

"You can call me whenever you like." Steve said, a hint of shyness in his voice as he glanced over at her from the book.

Cara looked over at him, not knowing how to respond. "Maybe I will." She said quietly before putting the book back on the shelf. She stood on tip toe to try to reach and grabbed the edge of the shelf to balance. Her hand slipped and she tumbled over letting out a shout.

Steve grabbed her up and set her on her feet again.

"Thanks." She said pushing hair out of her face.

"Anytime." He replied, his voice low.

He leaned down for what seemed like hours to Cara and his lips met hers again. She moved her hands up his arms and held his biceps, kissing him back. His bottom lip trailed along hers delicately as he broke the kiss. He started to speak and she put a hand on his chest.

"If you apologize for that, I'm going home." She breathed.

"No, I was going to say that I've been thinking of ways to talk to you since you moved here."

"So my ploy to cause a snow storm and then have a tree fall on my house finally helped you work up the nerve?" She grinned at him, as he laughed.

"Welcome to the neighborhood." Steve murmured, smiling down as his lips moved closer toward hers again.

"The neighbors are certainly friendly." Cara said, her lips meeting his eagerly.


End file.
